In major blow to Congress ahead of LS polls, former Union Minister Suresh Pachouri joins BJP

BHOPAL: In a big jolt to the Congress party ahead of the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, senior Congress leader and former Union Minister Suresh Pachouri joined the BJP in Bhopal on Saturday.

Significantly, the setback to the grand old party came just a day after Rahul Gandhi’s Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra crossed over into Gujarat after a brief stopover in Madhya Pradesh.

#WATCH | Several Congress leaders, including former Union Minister Suresh Pachouri, join the BJP in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh.

CM Mohan Yadav, former CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan, state BJP chief VD Sharma and minister Kailash Vijayvargiya present. pic.twitter.com/yNdfHnBK4V

— ANI (@ANI) March 9, 2024

Reacting to the Congress’s latest big-name exit ahead of the general elections, which are likely to be held sometime between April and May, former Madhya Pradesh chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan blamed it on the ‘lack of leadership’ in the grand old party.

Speaking to reporters on Saturday, Chouhan, who has entered the Lok Sabha fray from Vidisha, said, “It seems Rahul Gandhi will breathe easy only after finishing off the Congress. It will be in line with what Mahatma Gandhi suggested the Congress should do. All good leaders in the Congress are fed up with the party’s rudderless and directionless state. The Congress appears to be on the verge of extinction”.

#WATCH | Bhopal: On joining the BJP, former Union Minister Suresh Pachouri says, "…When I entered politics, I decided to serve the society and the country…Congress wanted to establish a classless society, but this has been sidelined today…" pic.twitter.com/SYSYGs2leh

— ANI (@ANI) March 9, 2024

Addressing media persons after the BJP picked up its latest Congress scalp, the party’s state president VD Sharma said, “Former Union Minister and Congress leader Suresh Pachouri is a tall leader in Madhya Pradesh Congress. Since there is no place for leaders of his stature in the Congress anymore, he has joined the BJP and will work under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi”.

Reacting to the development, BJP stalwart Kailash Vijayvargiya said, “All tall leaders are deserting the Congress even as Rahul Gandhi is busy with his Nyay Yatra. All leaders and workers in the Congress have come to this realisation that if anyone can do justice to people across the country, it is PM Modi. So, many are switching sides and joining the BJP.”

Earlier, in February, there were speculations around former Union Minister and Congress state chief Kamal Nath joining the BJP. However, despite rumours of a flip, the Congress stalwart decided to stay put with the grand old party. (ANI)